(VOVworld) – 200 Belarusian companies and 60 others from Vietnam have gathered in a Vietnam-Belarus Business Forum to step up the implementation of agreements reached between the two countries’ leaders during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's visit to Belarus in May.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Duong Quang and Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Rybakov sign cooperation agreements. (Photo: VOV)

The event, held on Wednesday at the National Library of Belarus, Minsk capital, was one of various activities in the agenda of the Vietnamese working delegation there.

Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang said the active performance of both sides’ functional agencies and companies and the ongoing free trade agreement negotiation between Vietnam and the Customs Alliance (including Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus) have created premise for wider trade and investment cooperation. Hoang said: "Both sides have tabled practical measures to boost cooperation in economics, trade, and investment. They will be the foundation for stronger bilateral cooperation in these fields".

Belarusian Minister of Industry and Trade Dmitri Katerinitch said: "Vietnam is our key partner in ASEAN. We, along with other countries of the Customs Alliance, are negotiating with Vietnam on a free trade agreement. We hope the deal will help us reach similar agreements with other ASEAN members. I want to reiterate that Vietnam is a gateway for us to penetrate the ASEAN market".

During the business forum, businesses from both countries held meetings to study market and investment opportunities. Vietnam and Belarus target to raise bilateral trade revenue to 500 million USD by 2015.